Brian Baxter

September 18, 2014 | The American Lawyer

The two Am Law 100 firms are working on the $1.47 billion sale of a 48 percent stake in VKontakte, Russia's answer to Facebook, by United Capital Partners to a company controlled by oligarch Alisher Usmanov. The deal, which raises questions about Russia's commitment to Internet freedom, also comes amid increased tensions between the country and the West and sanctions against some Russian businesses as a result of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

By Brian Baxter

5 minute read

September 17, 2014 | The American Lawyer

Four Am Law 100 firms are facing off in a $2.2 billion takeover fight involving Endo International's bid to acquire Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, a deal that would stymie a $345 million tax inversion deal forged by the latter this summer with Canadian biotechnology firm QLT. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, which is currently advising Auxilium, has also done inversion work for Endo.

By Brian Baxter

6 minute read

September 17, 2014 | The American Lawyer

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld announced Wednesday morning that most of Bingham McCutchen's London and Frankfurt offices, along with a third of Bingham's Hong Kong office, will be joining the firm in one of the more high-profile mass lateral defections in recent memory.

By Julie Triedman and Brian Baxter

10 minute read

September 17, 2014 | The American Lawyer

Jorge Alers, a former head of the Latin American practice at two Am Law 100 firms and most recently general counsel for the Inter-American Development Bank, is on the lookout for potential combinations as the new CEO of Dentons' Latin American and Caribbean group. The Am Law Daily takes an in-house focused look at the latest round of notable hires from throughout The Am Law 200.

By Brian Baxter

10 minute read

September 15, 2014 | The American Lawyer

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and leading German shop Gleiss Lutz are advising Michigan-based TRW Automotive on its $11.74 billion sale to Germany's ZF Friedrichshafen, advised by Sullivan & Cromwell. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is counseling another party to the deal, which if completed will create the world's second-largest auto parts supplier.

By Brian Baxter

4 minute read

September 15, 2014 | Texas Lawyer

Dallas-based Locke Lord announces a letter of intent to combine with Edwards Wildman Palmer, creating Locke Lord Edwards.

By Brian Baxter, The Am Law Daily and Brenda Sapino Jeffreys, Texas Lawyer

6 minute read

September 13, 2014 | The American Lawyer

Sidley Austin has hired Cameron Kerry, a former general counsel and acting secretary at the U.S. Commerce Department and younger brother of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, as senior counsel in Boston and Washington, D.C. The Am Law Daily looks at Kerry's hire and more in our latest roundup of lateral moves throughout The Am Law 200.

By Brian Baxter

9 minute read

September 12, 2014 | The American Lawyer

Thomas Kruger, a corporate partner with Paul Hastings in New York, earlier this month helped good friend Kathleen King sell her famous Tate's Bake Shop this week to private equity firm The Riverside Company. The deal marks the end of a long journey for King, who more than a decade ago lost the name to the company she founded in Southampton, N.Y.

By Brian Baxter

4 minute read

September 11, 2014 | The American Lawyer

Constantine Kyres, who headed the tax group in Dentons' Montreal office until earlier this year, has been accused of extortion and obstruction of justice by prosecutors in Canada as a result of a long-running corruption probe involving engineering giant SNC-Lavalin and the government of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. But Kyres' lawyer plans to fight the charges.

By Brian Baxter

5 minute read

September 11, 2014 | The American Lawyer

Spanish legal giant Uria Menendez, an alliance partner of Magic Circle firm Slaughter and May, has agreed to take a 30 percent stake in Latin America's first major cross-border law firm merger between Chile's Philippi Yrarrazaval Pulido & Brunner and Colombia's Prietocarrizosa. The trio will form Philippi Prietocarrizosa & Uria, a 220-lawyer firm with offices in both countries.

By Brian Baxter

3 minute read